Old and New Torches
by Tiamat's Child
Summary: It's tough to be Mei. Manga continuity, post-series. Lan Fan/Mei, Ling/Al.


**Title:** Old and New Torches  
**Author:** Tiamat's Child  
**Fandom:** Fullmetal Alchemist Manga  
**Word Count:** 786  
**Rating:** K  
**Characters/Pairing:** Mei/Lan Fan, Ling/Al  
**Summary:** It's tough to be Mei.  
**Warnings:** None.  
**Notes:** Minor spoilers for the end of the manga. Written for fma_fic_contest at Livejournal, prompt 90: "Turn a cliche on its head." Alas, this is basically a sequel to something I haven't written yet, which is something that it's probably not a good idea to do, but it's funny anyway, so!

**Old and New Torches**

Mei flung aside the door to Lan Fan's office and stood in the frame, breathing heavily, her cheeks flushed and her eyes shining bright with tears fiercely resisted. Lan Fan tensed - she was ready to move before the door even opened fully, but she waited, evaluating the situation.

Mei started to cry. "That bastard!" she said, choking on her own tears for a moment, and then wailing, considerably more coherently, "That greedy bastard!" She crossed the room in a half controlled rush and flung herself down on the floor in front of Lan Fan's lap desk. "He steals _everything from me_."

Lan Fan blinked at her.

"First the crown," said Mei, "and now the _only man_ I've _ever loved_."

Lan Fan watched her, her head tilted to one side, as she sobbed inconsolably into her sleeve. After several minutes it seemed as if this was going to go on for some time, and Lan Fan, at something of a loss as to proper procedure under these circumstances (was jealousy appropriate? It might be, except that Lan Fan was not a man, so the information that she had had only one rival of the masculine persuasion might be considered to be gratifying, in which case the fact that she was _not_ jealous would be all right) returned to her work quietly, attempting to provide Mei with a silent, sheltered space in which to cry the disappointment out.

Eventually the sobbing trailed off into broken, shaking little hiccups. Lan Fan looked back up. Finally these stopped too, and Mei raised her head to meet Lan Fan's gaze. They watched each other for a little while, and then Mei swallowed and said, "You could offer to take my mind off my troubles."

"No, I could not," Lan Fan said, half automatically. "I have to finish drafting this duty roster."

Mei sat up. "You're _heartless_," she said, but the indignant tone of her voice was balanced by the laughter pressed into her eyes, and Lan Fan judged that she should proceed as she had begun. She picked up her brush.

"Two months ago you said you didn't care what Alphonse did." Lan Fan had not solicited this information. Mei had offered it spontaneously one morning, while she delayed Lan Fan's departure for her morning duties by clamping one of her shockingly strong hands about her wrist. Lan Fan was still not entirely sure why. "You said you were a woman now and - "

"But that was before my brother took him to bed!" Mei complained.

Lan Fan frowned and looked down at her chart. With a few quick flourishes she made a change in the duty roster.

"What are you doing?" Mei asked. Lan Fan felt the shift in her weight on the floor, felt the change in where the heat of her was, the steady pulse of her body's life as Mei leaned over her desk. "You're putting _yourself_ - Oh! Oh, that is not fair! _Lan Fan_!"

Lan Fan set the brush down and looked up, nose to nose now with Mei. "It would not do for gossip to upset Alphonse, Mei," she said. "He is used to being a private citizen. So I will stand guard. I know him, and he knows me."

Mei leaned back and sulked. "But then I won't see you all night."

"I am sorry," Lan Fan said, and reached out, cupping her flesh hand about Mei's shoulder. "But now I am free."

Mei tilted her head until she could rub her cheek against Lan Fan's hand. "I'm glad you're my girlfriend, Lan Fan."

Lan Fan smiled. "I'm glad I am too."

Mei dropped her voice. "Tell you a secret?" she said.

Lan Fan nodded.

"I already knew you were right," Mei said. "I left Xiao Mei to make a fuss if anyone tried to walk in on Alphonse and Ling- even if it would serve them right, for kissing in an audience hall!"

Lan Fan laughed the little huff of a laugh that Mei had taught her, although Mei did not know that it was she who had taught her and said, "Thank you."

"Well, I didn't do it for Ling," Mei said.

"No," Lan Fan said.

"That's right," said Mei. "You care about Alphonse too."

"He is special to me," Lan Fan said. And then, because although she was not usually jealous herself, she did know what made people jealous, added, "As are you."

"That's good," said Mei, and started to cry again, but Lan Fan knew what to do this time. She let Mei have custody of her hand until her emotions settled, and she drew Lan Fan across the writing desk to kiss her, and kiss her again.


End file.
